Great news! You’ve been promoted and are now leading a large division with a series of teams that fall into your area of responsibility. Before today, you were managing a team where everyone was your direct report. Now things are going to get even more complex and you’re further removed from the front lines. How do you still lead, inspire, connect, support and engage with the larger team and show up authentically as you and not as “The Leader,” “The VP,” “The SVP” or any other title that people use the word “the” in front of it? I suggest that you turn to the acting world for some lessons.
For years, from the time I was young to well into my adult life, I both studied and did a lot of acting. Every time I started with a new part or monologue it wasn’t me; rarely did I immediately feel the lines that someone else wrote for a person that I was only pretending to be. If I didn’t feel the lines, you know darn well my audience wouldn’t feel them either. My acting journey was all about the process to find me, and bring my authentic self, responses and feeling to the new role. For leaders, you may not be on a stage or in front of a camera, but the challenge is the same ~ to find your own method for turning a new role, and what feels like acting, into your authentic self.
Tips for Leaders to Turn Acting into Authenticity
One of the most important things I’ve learned about acting is that you can’t separate how you live your life and how you practice your art. ~ Larry Moss
Inner Work
In acting, I need to find the parts of myself that breathe life into a character and to do this, I have to know myself beyond my experiences alone, but also tap into my beliefs, fears and values. Before you can lead others, you have to know yourself. When you do the inner work to know who you are, you can then connect with others in a more authentic way. You no longer worry about how others see you, but instead show up as who you are ~ one human being working with other human beings.
Your talent is in your choice. ~ Stella Adler
Choice
Leaders make literally hundreds of decisions every day big and small. Every choice you make tells the world about your leadership philosophy, who you are as a leader and what matters most. One of the hardest parts when stepping into a new role is to own your choices. There will always be people who want to give you advice and tell you what do to and how to do it but you need to listen to their advice and then be courageous, trust your instincts and personal choices. Listening too much to others creates doubt and inauthenticity, listening to your own heart and mind calls forth your most authentic self.
To imagine is to create. ~ Jason Bennett
Imagination & Intention
How do you want people to feel when they interact with you? What’s your vision for yourself, your team and the organization? What are the tangible qualities of the culture that you want to create? As a leader, when you answer these questions, your journey mirrors the actor’s process. You need to imagine what you want to create, set the intention for your impact, and then move forward with authentic and purposeful action.
Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential. ~ Michael Shurtleff
Join the Cast
You are not a one-man or one-woman show. In theater, if you forget your line or don’t know where to go next, your fellow cast members are there to help and get you back on track. In the world at work, every leader must know: You are not in it alone. The biggest thing you need to do, to authentically lead and connect, is trust your team. Without trust, everyone is walking on eggshells and authenticity is absolutely impossible.
Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there. ~ Meryl Streep
When you step into a new role or a new organization it takes time before it feels like you’re embodying your authentic self and not acting or learning a part. You’ll get there with a commitment to find you, be you and bring your authentic self to all you say and do. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it.
Think back to the last time you took on a new role. How did you bring yourself to the part? What challenges did you face? What did you learn? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Hey Alli, love this, thanks for putting a new frame around the importance, work, and dedication of leadership as a way of life not a job title. Keep inspiring! km
Thanks so much, Kneale! Appreciate your feedback and encouragement!
Grest post Alli!
It reminds me of soothing I used to keep posted at ny desk to keep self doubt at bay:
DO IT because YOU CAN!
If you think you can’t DO IT,
Act as if YOU CAN!
It always works for me and I never received any feedback that people felt I es being dishonest.
Thanks for the encouragement you provide with each post.
Peggy
Peggy,
I love that! It is incredibly important to act as if you can not only for others… but for yourself! Many thanks for sharing!
Nice post, Alli… This is a good point worth exploring deeper – “Listening too much to others creates doubt and inauthenticity”
It is important to be collaborative at times – but employees have an expectation that leaders will be decisive and they expect those decisions to have some level of consistency… Without consistency, there is no trust… I agree that listening too much will create doubt and inauthenticity… Our decision making should have a distinctive voice and stand for something that we are proud of…
I agree, Mike. Well said! Our decision making should have a distinctive (and consistent) voice that makes us proud. Making decisions and listening to our own guts, hearts and minds does not stop leaders from being collaborative but creates room for other perspectives to be considered thoughtfully too.
Thanks for the addition to the conversation! Much appreciated!
Really great post, Alli! When you listen to interviews with really great actors, many tell how they really try to understand the perspective of the character. They may read a lot about them, if it is historical in nature, or they may participate in the real world whereby their character is to exist. Applying this to your frame here, to be a great leader, we should read biographies of great leaders. If we want to be a great leader, we should try to talk to other leaders about their experience. Leading isn’t a solo endeavor, so spend the time to understand those leaders who have gone before us. Thanks! Jon
Jon – That’s a great addition to this post! Many actors do prepare but reading books, watching videos, talking to people about their experiences. Characters don’t get developed in a vacuum… the same holds true for leaders. The depth of our character shines the brightest in relationship with others and to the world. Learning is critical!
Thought provoking post Alli. Loved it. Leadership is not about titles but a way of life. A lot of big organizations and some mid size & small organizations think that titles will enamor one and all. Finally what matters is about who we are in day to day life because it is the innate self that is displayed at work and outside work.
Love the way you have conveyed the message.
Absolutely agree, Lalita: “Leadership is not about titles but a way of life.” Leadership, satisfaction, engagement all depend on much more than a promise of a big title. Thank you for adding such an important point.
What an authentic post, Alli and I so connected with it! When we lead we need to figure out and define our own, unique brand. I can see how acting can help leaders get in touch with who we want to be and portray. Preparing for our leadership roles does take inward looking as you mentioned and helps us create a leadership identity. Thanks so much for presenting this viewpoint!
Terri – That’s definitely a big part of it… deciding who we want to be and then working to meet our own best expectations of ourself. Great addition of brand and leadership identity too – great way to put it. Leaders need to know who they are so they can consistently show up as themselves and not some corporate zombie-like version of themselves. Always appreciate your input and insights, Terri!
Great post Alli. You had me in the first paragraph when you reference having “the” in your title. Great thoughts on leading a team – and leading yourself!
Barry,
Thanks! Just like some leaders refer to HR as if they are a bunch of nameless, faceless people, the same happens with “the” leaders. When I worked in corporate, I’d much rather have someone mention me by name than as “The VP” for the group. It was my job to develop the relationships so we were all (and are) more than our titles.
You are not in it alone.
That just sums it up, Alli.
Mine? When I was simply attending yet another Commercial Services Board and Alaska Guide Board meeting, diligently taking notes as is my habit, when my own name brought me up short…huh? Suddenly, a vote was being taken and all eyes were on me.
Now, I have to admit, I am used to this part as one of the only women in the audience that isn’t “arm candy” or someone’s wife or girlfriend, as one of the few women in my field. Not only that, but one of the only women in the “old-timers” crowd of Alaskan Guides that have been guiding the wilderness of Alaska since before the Wrangell-St.Elias became the largest National Park in the country.
But this? The vote was unanimous. The choice was mine. (yeah, right.)
They wanted me to write, create and implement an online (and off) Professional Guide Ethics class for the State of Alaska. To say this was a new role for me would be putting it lightly. What did I do? I smiled, joked and took more notes. Inside? I was shaking. My head hurt and my knees were weak. (Why did they think I could do this? Had I just told them I would? What in God’s own name, did I imagine I was doing?) I stood straight and faked it. (no-problem-o) I went back to the hotel room (these meetings last for about a week) and started researching. I began to study. Nine hours later I was again sitting in a very uncomfortable chair, waiting for the next break, adding more thoughts and questions to my notes. I started with the Sourdoughs. (the old-timers) I needed to understand what they really wanted from this class.
What challenges did I face? Picture a caveman from 10,000 BC trying to do research online. What did I learn? EVERYTHING.
What did I really-really learn? That I could do something important. That I could learn something I knew NOTHING about and implement it. That there is NOTHING any one of us can NOT do, if we choose to.
Thanks for this, Alli.
This story is AMAZING, Amber-Lee! Your honesty and how you stood up to this challenge is inspiring. This is EXACTLY what I’m writing about in this post. You lived it. “That there is NOTHING any one of us can NOT do, if we choose to.” Thank YOU!!
Hi Alli, I’ve just started term 2 volunteering at my son’s school to facilitate PAL (Program for Active Learning) through outdoor education for the 8yr olds. It is a program to introduce & foster servant leadership. I’m so glad to be able to practice what I’ve been learning at #leadfromwithin & to learn alongside with these boys as well. 🙂 Last term’s work had me seen not just fruits in the boys but myself as well. I saw how patience, encouragement & honest feedback spoken at the right time to individual boys brought the team’s success. The points that you’ve raised resonate with what I’m currently working on in myself. Thank you for this article & every one that you write & share from your heart. It is so encouraging & enlightening as it not only frames what I’ve been doing but that I’m going forward in the right direction. 🙂
Angie – Thank you for your heartfelt comment and sharing your story! How amazing to be fostering servant leadership in young kids~ that’s when the learning can be so meaningful and life changing. I truly feel lucky to have connected with you! Many thanks, Angie!
Great post, Alli! There really is so much to learn from acting, and you did a great job in pulling out the lessons for leadership. I especially like how you make us think about the balance between talking to the team but coming from a place of really knowing ourselves before playing a role to the best we can, knowing the character we want to portray. Thank you!
Alice – Appreciate your comment! Yes, we need to be in touch with our own character so we bring our best, most connected self to the team. Thanks so much for bringing that out even further.